Dec. 26, 2009

Despite no ring, Rivers proving he's top QB of 2004 draft class

By Pete Prisco | CBSSports.com Senior Writer
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NASHVILLE -- This is what Philip Rivers had to say in the spring of 2004 as he was readying to enter the NFL Draft:

Philip Rivers improves to 18-0 as a starter in December. (AP)

That was a precursor to the cocky style Rivers now plays with as quarterback of the San Diego Chargers, a style that can grate on opponents and opposing fans but also now defines him as a quarterback.

By the way, Rivers was right. While he doesn't yet have a Super Bowl ring like Eli Manning and Ben Roethlisberger, the other top quarterbacks taken in that 2004 draft, he's not only as good as those two, he's better.

Don't get irrational and start that screaming about how rings define quarterbacks, and nothing else matters. If that were the case, Dan Marino wouldn't be considered great, and we know better.

Rivers is an elite quarterback, who just doesn't have a ring yet. It's similar to the time before Peyton Manning won his. Manning and Tom Brady are a the top of any quarterback list, and they have rings, but I'm not sure Rivers isn't right behind them next to New Orleans' Drew Brees, who also doesn't have one.

I got my first chance to watch Rivers live this season against the Tennessee Titans and he was every bit as good as he's been all season long. Rivers completed 21 of 27 passes for 264 yards and two scores as the Chargers blew out the Titans 42-17.

Those passing numbers might not be gaudy, but seeing how he got them sure was impressive.

Rivers is now 18-0 in December as a starter, the best record of any quarterback in NFL history. His play is why the Chargers have clinched the No. 2 seed in the AFC, why they have won 10 consecutive games and why they are considered a real threat to the undefeated Indianapolis Colts.

The Chargers are also 7-1 on the road, which shows they can handle adversity. Take this game. They played a tough game last Sunday, had two days of practice and then flew to Nashville Wednesday. They had a light walkthrough Thursday and then played Friday.

"This is a tough deal," Chargers coach Norv Turner said. "Our guys have been unbelievable in not letting anything distract them."

But that's regular-season stuff. As Rivers said, "You don't get pats on your back too long for what you do in the regular season."

It's about January and February.

"There's no doubt of the three of us [the top three quarterbacks from 2004], I'm the one left standing without one," Rivers said late Friday night as he leaned against the wall in the San Diego locker room. "We have a heck of a group of guys and a heck of a team and we're going to make a good run at it."

Roethlisberger won his first ring after the 2005 season and then won another last season. Eli Manning claimed his after the 2007 season.

Is this Rivers' time?

The way the Chargers are playing, you have to think he has a real chance. This is how well he's playing individually: It's not crazy to say he's every bit as good as Brees, the man he replaced in 2006 as quarterback of the Chargers.

Rivers now has 4,155 yards passing this season -- his second consecutive season over 4,000 yards -- and he has 27 touchdown passes and nine interceptions. With one less game, Brees has 4,130 yards, 33 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Yet Rivers isn't even in the MVP conversation with Brees, Peyton Manning and Brett Favre.

"The fact that he's not mentioned as an MVP is kind of crazy," Chargers tight end Antonio Gates said. "But I can tell you his focus isn't winning the MVP. I can't say enough about him as a player and what he means to this team. But his not being in the MVP mix is crazy."

The San Diego offense hasn't scored less than 20 points in 21 consecutive games. Rivers and that unit are on fire. One play against the Titans shows how special a quarterback he has become, all that film work and son-of-a-coach stuff paying off.

With the Chargers leading 7-3, Rivers faced a second-and-15 at the Titans' 36. Tennessee brought pressure and Rivers was flushed out of the pocket as he hit the top of his drop. As he stepped forward, a Tennessee defender seemed to trip him up. So as he's falling sideways, right near the line of scrimmage, Rivers saw Gates wide open on the left sideline.

As he's falling to the ground, Rivers lofted a pass to Gates for a 36-yard touchdown pass and a 14-3 lead. Having his head up made the play possible. Too many quarterbacks will tuck it and run but Rivers kept the play alive to make a throw down the field.

"That says a lot about him as a quarterback, keeping that head up and that play alive," Gates said.

San Diego has the fifth-rated pass offense, and 12th-rated offense, but it's the defense that will decide this team's chances for a ring. Before the Chargers became a high-scoring passing attack, the Chargers were considered a defensive team that ran the ball with LaDainian Tomlinson.

Now they throw to score, run with the lead and that leaves it up to the defense to just contain the other team's offense. It must be nice taking the field knowing the offense can score at least 20.

"That's not what we're worried about," Chargers linebacker Shaun Phillips said. "We don't depend on them. We depend on ourselves. It's about what we do, not what our offense does or what the other offense does."

The San Diego defense came into the Tennessee game ranked 15th in total D, but 21st against the run. They've had a lot of injuries, including losing Pro Bowl nose tackle Jamal Williams for the season in the first game of the season. His loss has impacted the run defense in a big way.

Tennessee's Chris Johnson, the NFL's leading rusher, ran for 142 yards, but he got 30 of them on a late touchdown run when some of the San Diego starters had already taken a seat.

San Diego defensive coordinator Ron Rivera has his defense playing better as we get toward the playoffs. They had three takeaways against the Titans to help the offense. That kind of play will be key in the postseason and the defensive players seem ready for the challenge.

"We understand that," Phillip said. "They can't give us 40-something points every game. The offense speaks for itself. We know if we are going to get where we need to go we have to do what we need to do."

When I asked safety Eric Weddle about the scrutiny the defense will get in the postseason because the offense is so good, he looked stunned for a second.

"You mean we're the weak link?" he asked.

Now that you asked -- yeah.

But if that unit can continue to improve, San Diego just might get to the Super Bowl, even if it means going to Indianapolis and winning against the Colts. That offense gives them a real chance to beat anybody on any day.

"We go against them every day," Weddle said. "We're glad other teams have face them instead of us."

That's how good Rivers is playing -- better than any passer from the class of 2004, ring or not.